


An Accident But I'm Still Trying

by ideasCornucopia



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Accidental Child Adquisition, Accidental Transformation into a Duck, Angst and Humor, Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, Nico bonds with the child, Percy has been turned into a duck, no beta we die like men, not that much angst tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:20:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28606605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ideasCornucopia/pseuds/ideasCornucopia
Summary: “Getting the kid will be easy, and we could even stop to get some cool, alien merch in the city!” Percy insisted. “Come on, it’ll just take a few hours at most. And we have to get her, Nico, her mother disappeared on New Year’s Eve- New Year’s!” He’d then pouted and gave his boyfriend the puppy eyes he knew could get him to do just about everything.And Nico, who’d known how it felt to be small and all alone during winter, wasn’t about to let another kid go through that. “Okay,” He sighed. “Let’s go get the kid.” How hard could it be, anyway?As it turns out, very very hard.Or in which Nico ends up injured on the parking lot of a UFO-shaped McDonald’s, with a kid on one side and a couple of ducks on the other one.
Relationships: Nico di Angelo/Percy Jackson
Comments: 6
Kudos: 59
Collections: Percico Secret Santa 2020





	An Accident But I'm Still Trying

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bluetooths_WIFI](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluetooths_WIFI/gifts).



> This is my other piece for the Percico Secret Santa 2020, for the fun [Catsickle ](https://catsickle.tumblr.com/), who asked for established! older Percico, accidental child adquisition, or duck! Percy. I, of course, had to combine all three, and got carried away like always. Hope you enjoy!

Nico and Percy received Chiron’s call when they were just a state away from the farm. They had left New York a few days ago, after spending the holidays with Percy’s family. Right now, they were taking a sort of vacation from their Camp duties, like they did every year. They were inside a Mexican restaurant, somewhere in Austin, Texas, because the place had the best enchiladas in the entire country. 

The couple had been enjoying their cheese filled, tortilla goodness when the iris message popped up in front of them. 

“A situation has occurred with one of the campers," The centaur said. “We need someone to go pick the kid up.”

Percy apologized to the owners in very bad Spanish, and he then grabbed his boyfriend’s arm, dragging him to the place’s bathroom. Nico doesn’t even protest.

They both took their roles as Senior Camp Counselors very, very seriously. 

“What happened?” Nico asked, and the centaur explained.

“Viola Harris spent the last summer at Camp,” He said, while the demigods stared at his tiny reflection. “She’s too young to have been claimed yet, and she hasn’t shown any powers or skills that suggest her parentage. She does like gardening and looking after the pegasi, however.”

“I remember her,” Percy replied. “She’s the small blonde kid from Cabin #11 that likes feeding the ducks in the lake, right?” Nico shrugged. Cabin #11 had a lot of young kids. “She cried a lot, when her satyr brought her for her first day...”

Nico could empathize.

"That’s Viola,” Chiron nodded. "We received a call from her, just a few minutes ago,” The centaur’s eyebrows furrowed in fatherly concern. “Apparently her mother has been missing since New Year’s Eve- she hasn’t been back in days. Viola is, of course, very worried, seeing as she’s convinced that there’s some kind of huge snake inside her family’s ranch who ate her mother and is going to eat her too.” Percy winced. “Now, there haven't been reports of monsters in that particular area for years, but if her mother is really missing, I’d rather have someone go and get the child as soon as possible.”

And Nico, who’d been looking forward to this small vacation to get _away_ from all the adorable, but overeager and annoying kids at Camp, just sighed. “And let me guess, we’re the ones closest to her?”

“She’s somewhere in Chaves county, New Mexico, near Roswell,” Percy’s face lit up, and he opened his mouth to ask a question, but Chiron just let out a long, suffering sigh. “Yes, Percy, _that_ Roswell.” He continued. “The nearest searcher is occupied with a Child of Ares who ran into...recent problems with the local authorities,” Nico groaned, because that would take a long while to deal with, and he really, really had been enjoying his vacations. “They’re twelve hours away, in Kansas City.”

Nico could make the jump there in just fifteen minutes.

“The child sounded really scared.” The centaur told them.

Nico looked at Percy, still unsure. 

“Getting the kid will be easy, and we could even stop to get some cool, alien merch in the city!” Percy insisted. “Come on, it’ll just take a few hours at most. And we have to get her, Nico, her mother disappeared on New Year’s Eve- New Year’s!” He’d then pouted and gave his boyfriend the puppy eyes he knew could get him to do just about everything. 

And Nico, who’d known how it felt to be small and all alone during winter, wasn’t about to let another kid go through that. “Okay,” He sighed. “Let’s go get the kid.” How hard could it be, anyway?

As it turns out, very very hard. 

After finishing the rest of their food, ‘cuz Nico was going to need the juice, and after Chiron helped them pin down just where the Chaves county was exactly, Percy held Nico’s hand as they made the first jump.

Nico had gotten better at shadow traveling, over the years. He could even pinpoint them to exact buildings, when he had a name and a vibe for the place. Still, there were a lot of similar ranches in the county apparently, and it took them a while of asking directions to finally get to the kid’s.

When they finally appeared in the middle of the Harris Ranch, the place was a _mess._ Percy gasped, letting go of Nico’s hand. His boyfriend looked around, with a surprised expression. They hadn’t actually thought the monster attack thing had been real.

Percy shuddered a little, as he walked past the busted front gate. While the cloudy, cool wind of arid New Mexico was not as cold as it had been back in New York, they’d come from sunnier Texas, and Percy wasn’t dressed for this. He quickly took his jacket out from his backpack, as he took a look around the front of the ranch.

The animals’ pens had been broken into, whatever attacked the kid and her mother ate most of their livestock, only caring to spit out a few bones and hooves. Percy stuck his tongue out, disgusted by the smell. The carnage wasn’t recent, though, there were flies flying over the carcasses, and Percy felt sad for a second.

“Poor cows...” Percy said. Nico had walked further into the property, and Percy followed, looking down at the strange tracks left behind by the monster. “You see anything that might tell us who did this?”

“Whatever it was, it was _big_ ,” Nico gestured at something. Percy looked up, his eyes widening

In front of them, was one of those giant pick-up trucks you could always see around farms. It was dark purple, and it looked like a nice car, perfect for heavy work, only that the front window had collapsed into the passenger and co-pilots seats, crushing whatever was inside, and spilling the broken front window all around the vehicle.

Percy paused for a second, wondering just what kind of monster could have caused so much damage. Then he furrowed his brows and asked, a bit panicked. “Do you feel the kid, Nico?” Chiron said she’d just called him, so surely she couldn’t be inside the car, right? Right?

“She’s here, somewhere,” His boyfriend replied, and then he added. “Alive.” Percy sighed in relief. “She has a strong aura, for someone so young. Are you sure she hasn’t been claimed yet?”

“Positive- she’s just 9 years-old...” Percy replied, taking a look around. Aside from more farmland, there was a barnyard and a house, both of which looked like they’d been through hell. “Okay- I’ll take the barnyard and you look through the house. If she’s not in either of them, we’ll look through the field.”

Nico nods, pulling his Stygian iron sword out, because he was gonna have to do some cutting to get through the destroyed house. Percy uncapped Riptide, taking a step towards the barnyard, trying to remember why the tracks had seemed so familiar, when Nico called for him.

“Percy,” He said.

“Yeah?” Percy replied.

Nico gripped his sword. “Be careful, okay? We don’t know if the thing’s still around here.”

Despite how worried he’d suddenly become for the kid, Percy smiled at him. “Don’t worry, babe, I’ll be okay.” And then, because his boyfriend managed to be somehow even more reckless and stupid than he was sometimes, he also said. “You be careful too, okay? Remember what Chiron said-”

“-Twelve hours before we can get any back-up, I know,” The Son of Hades smirked, and Percy swore he sometimes couldn’t get enough of that grin. Nico was the coolest person ever, and gods, Percy really did love him, edginess and all. “If you find her, just shout really loud, if you don’t find anything, meet me here in an hour!” Percy nodded, and so the search began.

It didn’t go well. Percy slipped into the barnyard- half of it had collapsed, and there were two large holes in the rest of the thing. The floor was a mess of fallen grain and more animal bones. Percy raised Riptide up, following the trail outside the barn. There were chicken coops, and while some of the animals were still alive, clucking very confusedly at the demigod, there were a lot of beheaded and dead birds. Percy looked away, disgusted.

The monster tracks were gone, after a while. Instead, there were now slithering trails on the dirt. Percy furrowed his brows.

Chiron mentioned the kid had said a ‘giant snake’ of some kind. Percy would have suggested a drakon, but the prints he’d seen didn’t match with any of the species he remembered. And, while this monster was big, it still wasn’t _dr_ _akon_ big.

Percy followed the trail until he arrived at a pond, further away from the main farm. Percy would have said the monster had gotten into the water, but the pond wasn’t that big. Plus, the trail had stopped a few yards away from the water. Like if the monster had suddenly taken flight. 

Huh, so perhaps it was a drakon after all.

Finding nothing, Percy returned to the barn, to make sure he hadn’t forgotten to check on some nook or cranny big enough for a kid Viola’s age to hide from a terrifying, winged serpent. Sadly, it was no use. The hour came and went, and he met Nico back on the front of the ranch. His boyfriend hadn’t had any luck either. Percy kicked the dirt, frustrated.

“I’ll go check on the barn again, just to make sure,” He decided.

“Make sure to check behind it too,” Nico said. “I’ll go look back on the house.”

And so they did. Percy felt like crap. The kid had been alive when Chiron had called. What if the monster had gotten to her before they arrived? What if she had walked down the road, after no one had come for her? What if she was somewhere terrified and by herself-

And then something caught Percy’s attention. Or better said, something caught Percy’s pants.

“Huh?” The demigod said, looking down. And there it was. A duck. Percy furrowed his brows, capping Riptide. The duck tugged on his pant’s leg again. “Is something wrong, buddy?”

“Quack!” The duck told him. It was a brown, round thing, flipping its wings, with dark beady eyes. Percy’s frown deepened.

While he could speak with all animals of the marine and equine variety, he’d always ran into trouble when it came to understanding birds. Anything that could fly was part of Zeus’s territory, and everyone knows that the Big Guy doesn’t like This Guy, but fish-eating birds spent so much time on water that it was impossible not to speak to them, from the time.

The result was like trying to understand a tourist who knew only very basic English, and that had an accent so thick it was very hard to actually get what they were trying to say. 

It doesn’t mean Percy wasn’t going to try.

“We’re looking for a kid, my boyfriend and I,” Percy told the duck, pronouncing every word very slow and clearly. “Her name is Viola. She’s about this,” Percy gestured. “High and she has blonde hair. She is small and scared. We have to find her. Can you help?”

“Quack!” The duck replied. Percy groaned.

Duck, why did it have to be a duck? Seagulls he had no problem understanding, flamingos were pompous pricks but he could get about half of what they were saying, and he had a very nice conversation about climate change with a penguin once, but _ducks?_ Yeah, no, Percy wasn’t fluent in Duckenese!

Still, he had to try. It was getting dark, Viola must be hungry as hell, and the Drakon could still be out there.

“Please,” Percy told the duck. “There’s a girl. We have to find her. Can you help us?”

The duck just quacked louder and- wait was that an _insult?_

Well, so much for trying.

“Hey, I’m being serious!” Percy shouted at the duck. “There’s a girl! Lost! Tell me where she is!”

“Quack!” The duck yelled back.

"Hey!" Percy hissed. "You take that back!"

“Quack!” The duck glared at him. “Quack?”

Percy’s anger receded for a second, changing to indignation. “Augh, gross no, I don’t want to do anything to her!” He felt disgusted again. “Gods, you have a messed up mind, Mrs. Dirty-beak.” He took a deep breath, because screaming at the bird wasn't getting him anywhere. “Look. I’m a demigod. From Camp Half-Blood. Viola has been there, we’re friends.” And then, because the duck still looks unsure, he also added. “We want to take her somewhere safe.”

The duck paused for a moment, as if she was taking him in. Nico was the one of them that could feel others’ auras, and stuff like that, but Percy had good instincts, when it came to people. He’d have to trust the duck did too.

And apparently, she did. “Quack!” The duck said, pushing his leg, and Percy broke in a smile, relieved. The duck walked along the pond, and behind the barn, directing him to a broken down, old and dusty tractor. Inside the tractor, Percy could see a shape that _had_ to be Viola.

The Son of Poseidon walked carefully towards her. “Thanks.” He told the duck, who quacked back, as if to say ‘no problem’. Viola was crying, curled inside the tractor seat, and Percy was ready to reach out for her already. After years of training the younger kids with practice swords, and assuring them that he wouldn’t let them drown during their kayak lessons, Percy knew all about calming down a sobbing and scared child. He was the best person for the job, actually.

“Hey,” Percy called out to the kid, who just turned around and screamed. The duck quacked, alarmed. A wave of something surrounded him, and Percy let out a curse, as his very body shifted around him and there's a flash of pure, white light. 

Nico has never been good with children. Yes, he’s a Senior Camp Counselor, and he helps Percy teach sword-fighting, as well as a bunch of other stuff, but he’s not the one who deals with the _children_ children, you know? 

Nico’s usually the one Chiron sends to talk with a teen if they’re going through some emotional stuff and are behaving weirdly. He’s the one that welcomes the children of minor gods to the place, and reassures them that they shouldn’t feel lesser than the Olympian demigods. He’s the one that will put his foot down if there’s any bullying situation, and he’s the one that shows up to the middle of wherever the gods sent a group of kids this time, to help them out if any of their campers found themselves in over their heads with a situation.

The point is, Nico can be stern, and protective, and sometimes, even understanding. But he’s not warm and caring. That’s Percy’s job- that’s something that comes naturally to him in a way it doesn’t for Nico. And it’s also part of the reason he loves his boyfriend so much, and he’s thankful he didn’t come to get the kid by himself.

Nico looks through the house more carefully, as Percy takes care of the surroundings. The house was small, but it looked like it had been lived in before the attack. There were photos on the wall of the girl, as well as a lot of people that looked like they were in theater costumes? Some of them had been scratched by giant claws, and the entrance of the house was in pieces, but it didn’t look like the monster had gone far inside.

The kitchen was mostly intact, aside from the broken bottles of wine on the floor. Nico checked the refrigerator, and it was almost empty, but there were dirty dishes in the sink, so at least the kid hadn’t gone hungry, in the week without her mom. 

Nico went upstairs, holding his sword up. There were three rooms and a bathroom- the tap was leaking, making a tap-tap sound. Nico checked the bedrooms, and one of them was dusty, mostly empty. The girl’s room was a mess, and she’d been staying to sleep in her mom’s room, probably missing her like hell and wondering where she was.

The demigod felt a pang on his chest, remembering Bianca. He continued looking. There were boxes with more photos, and shelves full of trinkets and toys, but nothing helpful. Nico stared at the window, and it was turning dark. Nico sighed. He’d been shadow travelling all around the country for days now. While he could jump much farther than he did as a teen, now, he’d been spending more energy lately, and they’d planned to stay in one place to give Nico time to rest and recover today. 

“Percy!” Nico shouted, getting out of the house by the backdoor, since the front entrance was pretty unstable. “We’ll be spending the night here! Have you found the kid yet?”

No response. Nico shuddered a little, looking around. The night was falling, and the temperature was dropping. The arid air had turned cold and dry, and Nico was starting to get hungry. Still, there was no response.

“Percy, come on!” He called again, walking closer to the barnyard, and gods, the monster had really done a number on the ranch. “I’ll try and make us dinner- I know you’ll probably want to keep looking, but it won’t do either of us a favor if you catch a cold. Chiron said the searcher would arrive tomorrow morning, we’ll have to hold on ‘till then.”

Still no response. Nico frowned, starting to worry. He crossed the barn, searching for Percy or the kid, but there was still no sight of either. Nico’s frown deepened. Some of the surviving animals were walking around him, mostly some chickens and a couple of ducks.

“Percy! Come on!” Nico yelled on top of his lungs. “Where are you?!”

Still nothing. Okay, now Nico was really worried. He looked around the barn again, he circled the pond, and even the front of the ranch but still, nada.

Nico walked to the pond and the field, when a shiny thing caught his eye on the ground. Nico ran towards it, kneeling to pick it up. He examined and yeah, it was Riptide, capped and on its pen form.

So, Nico started to panic. He gripped the pen and stood back up, frantically looking around. The monster wasn’t here, and Percy was okay- Nico would have felt it if something had happened. He shouted again, calling for his boyfriend, until-

Until one of the ducks walked up to him and bit his leg. Nico jumped, cursing. “Hey!” He called at the bird staring firmly at him. “Stupid bird…”

“Quack!” The stupid duck called, bumping unto Nico’s leg. “Quack, quack!” It had taken a grab of Nico’s pants, trying to drag him somewhere. 

“Buzz off!” Nico barked, trying to get the duck off him. The bastard proceeded to bite him again, this time harder. Nico winced from the pain, about to yell, when he looked up, and noticed just where the blasted bird was trying to lead him.

Behind a broken down tractor, there was a crying blonde kid, staring at him, shaking. 

Nico lowered his shoulders and his sword. The duck quacked again, this time joined by another, slightly smaller duck. They were gesturing at the girl with their beaks, and Nico furrowed his brows, looking from them at the child.

The Son of Hades sighed, putting Riptide into his pocket. Percy would have to wait.

As it turns out, the kid had less of an idea of what happened than Nico did. “Look, Violet,” He said, leaning on his chair, since he was currently sitting on the kitchen table, trying to make the kid open up. “You have to tell me what happened, okay? Let’s take it from the top, what did the monster look like?”

The child pouted. “My name is _Viola_!” She had dirty blonde hair and a round face. Her eyes were light blue, bloodshot and watery. Her clothes were dirty, and she had a few scratches on her arms Nico would have a look at, if the kid let him. She’d barely agreed to walk back to the house with him. “And I don’t care about some- stupid monster, I just want my _mom!”_

The ducks had tagged along, because of course they did. The smaller brown one was sitting on the girl’s lap, quacking at Nico whenever he got too close or made the kid cry again, which he had done recently. The second duck, the one that bit Nico, was walking around the kitchen impatient, quacking at random intervals and generally being annoying.

He was larger than the brown duck, and he was a different kind of bird, judging from his blueish and dark feathers. 

Nico just took a deep breath and did his best to control his temper. He would never actually yell at a kid, but it was hard, and Percy was still nowhere to be seen. 

His boyfriend wasn’t dead, Nico would have felt it deep in his _soul_ if he was. Percy was just- lost in the fields somewhere, or busy chasing the monster if he’d found it. He was probably making his way back to the house, he’d come back, eventually. 

The point is, Percy was an adult man who could look after himself, even if he’d misplaced his sword. He was okay, and if he wasn’t, he would have found a way to contact Nico already. He could take care of himself.

The kid, on the other hand, couldn’t.

Inside his pocket, the demigod gripped the pen. 

“Sorry, _Viola,_ ” Nico corrected, because he wanted to at least get somewhere with this conversation. “I know you’re scared- I would be too, if this had happened to me,” He shifted into that tone of voice he’d seen Percy use with kids like her, back at Camp. “I want to find your mom as much as you do, but I meant what I said, I can’t help you unless you give me something to work with here, kid.”

The brown duck quacked, again. The blue one grabbed Nico’s pants, tugging him. The demigod ignored them both and focused on the girl. 

Viola sniffed, but she looked up. “You’re really gonna help me look for my mom?”

Nico knew better than making promises he couldn’t keep, especially to a kid who’d just lost someone. But-

But Nico had a feeling he’d be able to keep this one, for some reason. The Son of Hades nodded. “Yes, I will. But I can’t do it if you don’t tell me details about the monster.” The kid still looked unsure. “You said it was like a snake, right?” She nodded. Nico hummed. “It wasn’t a basilisk, though.” The tracks on the dirt had been dinosaur-like. 

“It had wings,” Viola murmured. “It was black as night, and it had v-very big jaws…”

“Did it breath fire?” Nico asked. Viola shook her head, and then her belly grumbled. The brown duck quacked again, and Nico suddenly felt bad.

“When was the last time you ate anything, kid?” He asked, concerned.

“I had dinner last night…” She said, and Nico and the ducks winced. 

Percy and Nico didn’t do a lot of cooking at home- they mostly just ordered take out or shadow-traveled to their favorite restaurants. Percy could manage a plate of killer pancakes, but Nico had no culinary skills whatsoever.

There was a thing Nico knew how to do, though, and there were enough ingredients left on the fridge to do it. 

“Hey, kid,” He said. “Do you like grilled cheese sandwiches?” Viola’s eyes automatically lit up. Nico smiled. “How about you go and take a nice, warm bath while I make us some?” The brown duck was still glaring at him. “And take your uh- pet along.”

Viola jumped off her chair, looking better at the promise of a dinner. “I’ve never seen these ducks before…” She commented, climbing up the stairs. 

Nico started thinking about the information they had on the monster, as he took the ingredients out. It was dark as night, snake-like, and had wings, but it couldn’t breathe fire. It had big jaws and it swallowed farm animals like they were candy. It sounded like a drakon, but it didn’t fit with any of the descriptions Nico remembered about them, from Mythomagic.

“There’s like- a lot of different drakon species, right?” Nico said out-loud, as he turned up the stove. The blue duck quacked, and Nico jumped, forgetting it had been there for a second.

The duck blinked, looking almost… amused? Nico groaned, grabbing the bread, and staring at it then back at the stove. “Was it butter on the bread or on the pan?” He muttered. The duck quacked, again. “Pan?” The duck quacked. “Okay, bread then.” Nico was putting the cheese on the bread, when it suddenly hit him.

The demigod turned around, looking at the bird wide-eyed. “Wait, you can _understand_ me?!” Quack. “The other one too?” Quack quack. “Huh. Magical ducks.” Nico supposed he shouldn’t be surprised- he’d been turned into a corn plant once, after all. “Are you like, the kid’s protector or something?” Three quacks. Something like that, he guessed.

Nico tried to remember if any of the Greek gods were related to ducks, as he placed the cheese sandwiches on plates. Three of them, one for Viola, one for him, and one for Percy, in case he returned. Nico didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t. 

Viola came back wearing My Little Pony pajamas and looking completely adorable, the brown duck trailing behind her. The kid devoured her sandwich and Percy’s, and Nico made her another two, because she still looked hungry. Gods, poor kid. The blue duck bit his leg again, so Nico threw him and his overprotective, brown friend some pieces of bread.

After the last slice was gone, Nico looked at the door, worried.

“Are you okay, Mr. Di Angelo?” Viola asked. Most of the kids at Camp called him that, after Percy put them all up to it.

 _‘I’m the funky school counselor and you’re the strict vice-principal, remember?’_ His boyfriend had said smiling, the lovable idiot. 

Nico sighed. “It’s my partner. I came here with him, but he hasn’t returned.”

The brown duck had stayed calm since Viola looked alright, but the blue duck was acting up again, quacking and gripping Nico’s pants. Nico shushed him. 

“He’s Percy, the sword teacher, right?” Viola said, and Nico nodded. “I think I saw him on the field but…” She furrowed her brows. “I… I can’t remember well, for some reason.”

“It’s okay,” Nico reassured her, despite how much noise the blue duck was making. Nico glared at it. “You either behave, or I’ll kick you out of the house!” The duck stayed silent, after that. Viola laughed. “He’s out there looking for the monster- he’ll be back by morning, probably…”

He then tried getting more information out of the kid, this time trying to find anything that might point to who her godly parent was. Maybe Demeter, or a minor nature deity, probably, because she really did like gardening and just being outside, in general.

“Your mother has always been a rancher?” Nico asked.

Viola shook her head. “No, she used to be an actress with a traveling company,” Well, that explained the old theater photos in their now destroyed living room. “She moved back to the farm when she had me though. Grandpa was very happy about it- he said that living on the road, always moving around the country wasn’t a way to raise a kid…”

“Is your grandpa still around?” She’d been here alone since her mother disappeared, as far as Nico knew.

The kid looked sad, for a second. “He died a few years ago. Mom said he softened up, when she had me. He used to read me Shakespeare plays to put me to sleep, just like he did with my mom. That’s why they named me Viola, like the instrument.”

Nico hummed, interested. “It can’t remember what play she was from.”

“The Twelfth Night,” The girl smiled sadly. “It’s mom's favorite.”

It was getting late, and Viola was yawning. Nico made her brush her teeth and walked her to her bed.

“We’ll find your mother, okay?” He told her. “I’ll make sure of that.”

Viola blinked for a second, and then wrapped her arms around him, in a hug. The ducks quacked loudly, and Nico tensed a little, surprised. 

“Thank you, Mr. Di Angelo,” The kid said. Nico relaxed, and patted her head. “Thank you so much..."

The morning arrived, and Percy still wasn’t back yet. Viola woke Nico up early to make breakfast, and she talked all the way during and after the meal. Nico tried his best to listen, but he was freaking out a little bit.

He’d called Chiron, to ask about the satyr that was supposed to come get the kid. She’d arrive there late on the day, the centaur reassured him. So Nico just took a deep breath, and decided to endure it. Percy hadn’t been gone for long, after all. 

And gods, the kid did a lot of talking. Like a lot, a lot. Nico thinks he spent the entire day listening to her talk, as he searched for the monster and his boyfriend through the farmlands yet again, just a third time to be sure. 

The ducks trailed behind them, wherever they went, quacking and quacking, and all the noise was starting to get on Nico’s nerves.

The day went and came, and Nico just did his best to keep his cool. 

The satur searcher didn’t show up. They went to sleep again, and Percy still was nowhere to be seen. 

“I will have to go further into the lands,” Nico said, after his second breakfast at the ranch, which was eggs and the sad strips of bacon Nico found on the very back of the fridge. They would have to go to the town, for dinner. They’d officially ran out of supplies. “Do some real monster hunting.” 

“Oh, can I come too, Mr. Di Angelo?” Viola asked, tugging at his sleeve. “I know the surroundings well, I can help! I want to go monster hunting!”

“Woah, wait a second kid,” Nico told her, taken aback by her enthusiasm. “You don’t even have a proper weapon.” Or proper training, either. 

“I have a baseball bat!” Viola insisted. “I think. I haven’t seen it in a while, but it’s probably in the attic, somewhere.” Nico gave her an unimpressed look. “Please, Mr. Di Angelo! I want to come! Maybe we can find my mom too- you said you’d help me find her!”

And look, Nico hadn’t slept well. He’d been worried sick about Percy, and the blue duck had been a loud, bird-brained nuisance all night. It had tried to sneak into the bedroom he was sleeping on, even tried to slip into his bed, of all things.

Nico decided that he hated the duck. He’d told it that to its face, but he’d only won another round of leg biting. Who’d have thought that duck bites could hurt so much?

Anyway, Viola was being her hyperactive, demigod kid self, and while Nico had said he’d find her mother, the truth was that Mr. Di Angelo worked best solo. Bringing a young, inexperienced kid along on the search would probably hinder him more than help, and he wasn’t about to evoke the wrath of whatever deity had gifted their kid with two magical duck protectors, by getting said kid and ducks killed. 

“Okay, Viola,” Nico told her. “You can come monster hunting, but only if you do find your bat, as well as some other thing you can swing around as a weapon. You also need to go change into your uh- best monster hunting clothes.” The brown duck quacked angrily, so Nico added. “And make sure to get something warm, because it’s still winter out there, okay?”

The kid smiled brightly. “Okay! I’ll be right back!” And off she went, to look for her bat, followed by the ducks. Nico used the time to make an iris call.

Clementine, the searcher satyr answered. She had dark, curly hair, and tanned skin, tiny horns poking from her head. “This better be freaking important- oh, hello Nico. Chiron said you’d be calling about the kid in New Mexico.”

“Hello, Clem,” He said, a little tense. “I’m with that kid right now. When do you think you can come pick her up?”

Clementine sighed. She’d looked tired, like she’d spent the last few days living off coffee and shitty salads. “Honestly? I don’t know. My kid decided to get himself into further trouble with the authorities, and I’m having a hard time getting him to even listen to reason.” Nico groaned. Why did all Ares kids have to be like that? “The kid is safe?”

“Yeah,” Nico answered. “But there’s something weird happening here, Clem, Percy has disappear-"

“Is the kid going to be in danger?” She continued.

“Uh, no?”

“Then, frankly, Nico,” Clementine gave him a look. “I don’t see what’s the problem. Just- hold on to the kid ‘till I can arrive, in 48 or so hours.” Nico opened his mouth to protest. “You and your boy defeated Gaea, I think you can handle a kid for a couple of days.” The satyr looked away, at something happening around her. “Okay, gotta go, take care of her!” And just like that, the call ended.

Nico cursed. There’s a quack, and Nico turned to glare at the blue duck. “What?!” He hissed. “My boyfriend is missing and he left me alone with a kid, what do you want me to do?” Quack quack. Nico kicked around some of the fallen furniture, frustrated.

The duck quacked again, agitated. It flapped its wings around, circling Nico. The demigod furrowed his brows. “Are you like- trying to tell me something? You know, I don’t actually speak Duckenese- Hey!” It bit Nico, and he did kick it that time. It only made the duck angrier. “Oh, it’s _on!”_

When Viola came down, Nico was sitting down on the sofa with his arms crossed, feathers on his hair and scratches all over his pants. The blue duck quacked at the kid, who bended down, petting him. 

Nico glared at the bird. It won, but only this time. 

“Aw, what happened, buddy?” Viola asked the bird. Quack quack quack. The girl giggled. Did she speak Duckenese? The brown duck nuzzled towards her. No, Nico didn’t think she did, at least not like Percy did with horses.

Viola had a connection to the animals, though. Nico wondered who her godly parent was, yet again. 

“I’m ready to leave!” She exclaimed, holding her baseball bat and covering her ears with her hat. She had a thick, leather jacket on and cowboy boots, with something strapped to her back. Nico raised his eyebrows.

“Is that a sword?” He asked. If the kid hurts herself while he’s supposed to be looking after her, he’ll never hear the end of it.

“Sort of,” Viola said. “It’s a scene prop. Can I still take it? Please?”

Nico sighed. “Well, if it’s just a prop, I don’t see why not…”

“You’re the best, Mr. Di Angelo!” Viola smiled, lifting up her bat. The brown duck quacked, concerned. “Now let’s go find that monster!”

Spoiler alert: They didn’t end up finding the monster. Or Percy, for that matter. They scoured through the fields, between the dirt roads surrounding the ranch, and the arid vegetation. They found more tracks, suggesting the monster had gone east, but nothing else.

The blue duck stumbles unto Percy’s bag, a few yards away from the tractor Nico had found Viola on two days ago. The demigod scowled.

“You said you saw him here, right?” He asked, and Viola nodded. The blue duck quacked again, louder. “I don’t care if you understand human speech or not, I’m going to roast you for dinner if you don’t stop annoying me!” The duck let out a sad quack. Nico kneeled on the ground, but there were no prints, nothing. “I don’t understand, it's like-”

“-He vanished?” Viola finished for him. Nico looked at her. “That’s what happened to my mom.” 

And then she started crying. Nico winced. The ducks looked at him, expectantly, and Nico just gestured with his hands, unsure of what to do.

He’d never been good with crying girls, okay?

Still, Clementine had told him to take care of the kid. “Hey, it’s okay,” He tried to reassure her. “We’ll find them.” They hadn’t been eaten by the drakon after all, which meant they could. Probably. Nico really, really hoped they would. 

“What if we don’t, though?” Viola cried. “What if-”

Nico shushed her. “No what-ifs, kid. I told you I’d help you find your mom, didn’t I?” Viola nodded, slowly. “Well, I will. And Percy’s one of the toughest people I know, whatever happened to them, we’ll get to them, don’t worry.” 

But Viola was still crying. The ducks nudged Nico. Okay, time for plan B, then. Nico knew what always used to cheer him up, when he was a kid. 

“Hey, how do you feel about McDonald’s?

Nico shadow travelled them to Roswell, because the nearest McDonalds was there. Viola closed her eyes and clinged to Nico’s arm, as they moved. The ducks came with them, clutching Nico’s pants, despite the demigod's protests. 

When they made it to the middle of the street, and Viola just stared wide-eyed, at the people walking around them. “Woah, Mr. Di Angelo!” She said, and Nico smiled. It was nice to travel with someone that was still impressed by his powers. He did this with Percy so often it had lost its flair years ago.

The brown duck stuck close to Viola, shaking a little. The trip had ruffled its feathers, Nico supposed. 

He looked around town. Roswell, New Mexico… wasn’t what he’d expected. There were tourists walking around, yes, and lots of shops with little green men decorations, and flying saucers hanging from the doors, but for someone who’d travelled through most of Europe and Asia already, it didn’t seem _that_ impressive.

“I don’t get why Percy was so excited to be here...” Nico commented, while the blue duck quacked, offended. 

Viola shrugged. “A weather balloon fell down here in the 40’s, and tourists are now convinced there’s aliens in the area.” Nico raised an eyebrow. “They eat up with a spoon, I swear.”

“Aliens aren’t real,” Nico replied, making the blue duck flip it’s wings, quacking angrily. “Aw, come on, don’t tell me you believe in that stuff?” Quack quack. Nico rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” Viola smiled, and Nico was glad to see she was no longer crying. Nico offered her his arm again. “Come on, we came here for a Happy Meal, and we’re not gonna leave without one.” Viola took it, and directed him through town, the ducks following behind them. They received a couple of curious looks from the locals, but the brown duck just growled at them, as if to tell them to mind their own business.

The city was warmer than the ranch had been, so Nico slipped his jacket off. The kid started talking about the times her mom and her had been here- the stores they liked to visit, the places they always ate at. The brown duck watched her with sad, dark eyes. The blue duck looked around the stores, pausing at one of them. It turned to Nico, quacking excitedly, and the demigods stopped to look at it.

There were stands inside the shop, filled with alien plushies in all sizes, and silly t-shirts. Nico furrowed his brows, remembering.

 _‘We could even stop to get some cool, alien merch in the city!’_ Percy had said, back when they were still in Austin. Percy loved to buy ugly merch off every place they visited, the sillier the better. He had every crappy ‘I went to This Place and all I got was this lousy T-shirt’ shirt in existence, from Ontario to Timbuktu. It was their thing, or so Nico thought, even if it was a little stupid.

The fridge in their apartment was plastered with magnets from cities all around the world. Nico smiled at it, every time he looked at it in the morning.

Nico suddenly felt sad. Viola blinked, and the blue duck quacked softly. “Is something wrong, Mr. Di Angelo?” She asked.

He shook his head. “No, I just- I have to buy something really quick.” He said, entering the store.

He came out holding a paper bag saying ‘Greetings From Roswell, New Mexico’. Viola and the ducks watched him curiously. “It’s just a gift for Percy,” He explained, a little embarrassed. “Since he couldn’t come. Don’t tease, kid.” It was perfectly normal to buy stupid gifts for one’s boyfriend.

Viola looked at the bag. “You really love him, don’t you?” She asked. Nico paused, blushing a little, then nodded. Viola furrowed her brows, serious, and grabbed Nico’s hand again. “We’ll find him, Mr. Di Angelo.”

Nico sighed, started walking again. “I hope we do, kid, I hope we do.”

The Son of Hades hadn’t been impressed by the town, but the McDonalds was another business. The yellow M of the restaurant stood against the low, silver and conical ceiling. A section of the building raised itself from the dome, encasing the games inside with clear windows. Posters of the newest promotions plastered the sides of the beauty, and Nico stood there, amazed. He grinned. “It looks-”

“-Like a UFO?” Viola laughed. “Yeah, I know. The perks of living next to a tourist trap town. Let’s go!” Nico wasn’t sure who dragged who inside.

Their joy was stopped by a stuffy waiter mopping the floor however. “Hey!” He called. “No birds allowed inside!”

Viola pouted. “Please? They’re very sweet and calm, I swear!” Nico snorted, yeah right. The ducks and the kid glared at him.

“Just stay here,” Nico told the birds. A series of angry quacks followed. “Hey, hey, it’s just a McDonald’s, she’ll be okay.” The ducks were having none of it, however. The brown one was flipping its wings, pointing his beak at the street, the blue one was tugging Nico’s pants, hard. “Stop it! I’m not giving you any breadcrumbs if you don’t behave!”

“Nico,” Viola called.

“No, kid, they need to learn manners,” Nico insisted. “Just because they’re stinking, annoying, _rude_ farm animals doesn’t mean they have to act like ones-” Quack quack! “Fuck you too, buddy-”

“Nico!” Viola yelled, and Nico furrowed his brows. “I-I think we found our monster! Or, well the monster f-found _us!”_

The Son of Hades finally looked up. His eyes widened, and he squeezed the paper bag. The waiter just shouted, dropping the mop and running inside the restaurant, slamming the door shut. 

In front of them, stood 20 feet of pure, quality, black Indian drakon, and it was hungry. 

Nico took his sword out, and yelled at Viola. “Kid, go!” The girl, whoever, was paralized on her feet. The ducks looked bravely ahead, ready to defend the child with their lives, probably. The drakon roared, making the ground shake.

It charged against them, and Nico barely had time to grab the kid and birds, and shadow travel away.

They dropped on the other side of the town, crashing into a metal dumpster. Nico winced, as his shoulder took the hit. The ducks jumped away, as Nico let go of the kid. 

Viola was shaking, mostly with anger. “That was it!” She exclaimed. “That was the thing that- that came to my ranch and killed my animals!” Nico groaned, standing up. Gods, why couldn’t he choose a softer spot to land on? “We have to go back, Mr. Di Angelo!”

“No, kid,” Nico told her. _“I_ have to go back, you have to stay here, hiding and safe.” He reached for his sword, and one of the ducks directed him to it. “Thanks, Blue, I see you decided to stop being useless for once.” Quack quack quack! “You’re not coming either, bird-brain, none of you are!”

“I’m not staying here!” Viola protested. “That- that was the monster that took my _mother!”_ She yelled, and Nico’s face darkened. He was done playing nice.

“And what are you going to do about it, huh? Bore him to death with all your talking?” He deadpanned. Viola turned at him, surprised and hurt. “That’s an Indian drakon out there, kid, it swallows entire elephants in its natural habitat! There’s nothing you could do to it that wouldn’t end up with you eaten alive- hell, I’m not sure _I_ won’t get eaten either!” For all Nico knew, it had eaten Percy, but he couldn’t let his- his feelings cloud his judgement right now. 

He’d unleash his wrath upon the beast once the kid was safe.

Viola’s eyes were watery again. Nico’s scowl softened, and he felt guilty, just a little. But there were more important things to do right now. Drakons were a serious threat, he’d seen a lot of heroes fall to them. Percy and him could have taken it on, with some difficulty perhaps, but Percy wasn’t here.

Just Nico. 

The demigod bit the inside of his cheek, and then reached for the thing he’d been carrying inside his pocket for the past couple of days. He placed Riptide on Viola’s hand. 

The blue duck quacked, pained. Viola looked at the pen, then back at him. “What-” She asked.

“If something happens and I don’t make it back,” Nico said, because it was a real possibility, because this was a fucking drakon of all monsters, _gods_. “Just uncap this, okay? Call Chiron again, and tell him that the monster chasing you is an Indian drakon. They’ll send more help.” 

Viola uncapped the pen, and the blade popped out into her hand. The ducks quacked, panicked. The girl’s eyes widened, the meaning of Nico giving her this sinking it. “No,” She cried. “Mr. Di Angelo, you can’t do this-”

“It’s not a prop, so don’t do anything stupid with it,” Nico continued. “Don’t go after the monster, just run and call for help.”

The girl’s hand traveled to his sleeve, gripping it like she had so many times before. “ _Please_ don’t go!”

Nico furrowed his brows. “I’m sorry, kid.” He said, pushint her hand away from him. 

The Son of Hades stood back up, gripping his own sword, and sank into the shadows.

The fight with the Indian drakon went as well as could be expected, when you were fighting against the thing you thought had killed your boyfriend. By which, Nico meant he did a lot of stupid mistakes an experienced fighter like him shouldn’t do.

He’d charged right at the monster with his powers, screaming. “You think you can eat the love of my life? Yeah, well, think again, _bitch!”_

He’d gotten thrown around like a sack of potatoes.

The Indian drakon was longer than its Mediterrenean cousins- it had a long, whip-like tail that hurt like hell when it hit you right on the chest, and what it lacked in size, it made up in speed. It moved like a snake, circling around its prey and pouncing on them with its terrifying jaws.

Nico could barely keep up with the thing. He had no shield, and no strategy, he was just dodging claws when he should, and slashing at anything he could. He was also screaming a lot, probably from rage and grief. 

It was a messy, terrible fight, and Nico was only alive because he kept shadow traveling whenever the beast came to bite off a chunk of him.

He wouldn’t be able to keep that up going for long, though. He’d wasted a lot of energy in that first, reckless attack, and he hadn’t been eating well since Percy disappeared, okay? 

Nico hadn’t survived Tartarus as a kid just for nothing, though. He gave the drakon a good fight. He’d sliced the thing’s tail clean off when it tried to hit him with it again, and there was a large gash on it’s right wing, which means it wouldn’t be able to fly away. He’d also badmouthed the bejeezus out of the bastard too. He would have done at least 10 points of pysch damage, if the thing could understand human speech like the ducks could. Blue would be proud.

“You haven’t had enough of me yet, you cheap How to Train Your Dragon Toothless knock off copy?” Nico yelled at it, panting and leaning into his sword. The drakon roared, insulted. “Yeah, that’s right! You think a black dragon is original? You thought wrong!”

The monster leaned in for another swipe of its claws. Nico wasn’t fast enough to dodge, this time.

The Son of Hades rolled to the ground, his left arm bleeding. Nico groaned in pain, the beast prowling towards him. Nico looked up. Gods, is this how he died? In the parking lot of a UFO McDonalds in the middle of New Mexico? Hazel was going to have a fit when she heard.

Oh well. At least the kid was safe.

Or so he’d thought.

“Hey!” Someone threw a rock at the drakon, who growled and turned towards them. “Yeah, I’m talking to you, you overgrown lizard!” Nico’s eyes widened. He lifted himself up from the pavement with his good arm, as the drakon turned around, pushing its wings up, roaring. 

Viola stood there, holding Riptide up, the two ducks flanking her bravely. “Leave Mr. Di Angelo alone!” She demanded. 

“Goddammit- kid!” Nico yells. “I thought I told you to run away!”

“And I thought it was an awful idea!” Viola yelled back, scowling. “I’ve had enough of running away! I’m a demigod too, just like you!”

Despite everything, Nico feels proud, for a second. They really do grow up so fast, don’t they?

The drakon charged at her. Nico screamed. The ducks quacked, scared. Viola dropped the sword and extended her arms up at the monster. “I hope I was right!” She said, as she closed her eyes.

There was a bright, blinding flash of light. Nico shielded his eyes, trying to get back up. His jaw dropped, and he stared at the parking lot. Holy smokes.

Where the drakon used to be, now there was only a very confused duck. It was black, like the drakon used to be, and its tail feathers looked short. It looked around, quacking, waving its beak, unsure of what had just happened. Nico’s shoulders dropped, shocked. Huh. 

Viola rushed to the Son of Hades’s side, throwing her arms around him, tackling him to the ground once again with her force. Nico huffed, because the drakon broke or at least severely bruised his ribs.

“It worked!” Viola cried, the ducks running towards them, quacking excitedly. “It really worked!”

Nico sighed, hugging her too. “I can’t believe you turned it into a duck!” She can turn monsters into animals, those were her demigod powers! Maybe she could even turn people too!

The blue duck quacked, nuzzling against Nico’s side. The demigod blinked. 

Wait a second.

“So that means…” He said. 

“Yes!” Viola said, smiling.

“And those are-”

“Yes, Mr. Di Angelo, they are!”

Blue quacked, looking at him. Nico stared at the duck. _“Percy?!”_

While Nico wrapped his bleeding arm with a makeshift bandage made out of strips of his undershirt, Viola took her time to explain how she’d come to the conclusion that she’d turned both her mom and Nico’s boyfriend into ducks.

“I’d never seen them before, at the ranch,” She said. “And they understand humans! Also, the brown is very fussy, just like my mom, and the blue one is always trying to get your attention,” She giggled. “It’s adorable. He cares about you a lot.”

Percy quacked, as if to say ‘of course I do!’. Nico rolled his eyes. “Then why did he bite me so much, huh?” Quack quack! Nico turned to him. “I was worried sick about you, Seaweed Brain, sorry for not being on top of my game.” Quack! “Yes, I know it was obvious in retrospect.”

The affinity to plants and animals, her love for classical theater, the fact that her mom was an actress. Yeah, all the clues about Viola's parentage had been there. 

Viola laughed. Her mom quacked, nuzzling close to her daughter. Viola petted her, happy. “I’m not sure how to turn them back, though…”

“I think I know who does,” Nico sighed, reaching out for a drachma. Time to make a call. Viola watched curiously over his shoulder.

Mr. D answered wearing one of his typical hawaiian shirts, and he didn’t look pleased to see him. “Rico, I already told you once, I am not going to give you another week off just so you can run around the country with your boyfriend-” His eyes passed over to Viola and he raised his eyebrows. “Oh.”

Nico had to admit, Viola had her dad’s eyes. 

“Look at who we found in our travels,” Nico said, a little smug, but only because Mr. D has been nothing but a lousy boss. Viola waved at the god, unaware of everything. Dionysus winced. “Her farm got attacked by an Indian drakon, Chiron asked us to go get her because her mother had disappeared.” Mr. D’s face was preoccupied, for a second. “Don’t worry, they’re both okay, we took care of it. I’m just calling because we had a little problem with her powers. Turns out she has the ability to turn people in ducks, and guess who got turned into one?”

Percy protested with a quack, probably upset at Nico telling other people about his current situation. Though luck, Nico smiled, he was going to tell _everyone._

Mr. D was unimpressed. “I suppose you want my help.” Nico nodded. “Oh, I don’t know if I want to do it, though, I bet Johnson makes an amazing bird.” 

Viola furrowed her brows. “Please, Mr. D, you have to help us! My mom got turned into a duck too,” She said. “And Mr. Di Angelo helped me find her, technically, just like he promised.” The girl then gave the god puppy dog eyes, and she could have bended anyone to her will with those.

Mr. D exhaled, defeated. “Okay. Just because you helped the kid.” The god snapped his fingers, and though nothing changed around them, the ducks shuddered, just a little.

“A true love’s kiss will turn them back to normal,” Dionysus said. “That’s what the mortals used, the last time I pulled the same trick on someone.”

Viola furrowed her brows. “That will work for Percy, sure, but what about my mom?”

Mr. D’s eyes softened. “Well, you love your mom very much, don’t you, kid?” Viola nodded. “Then it will do.” Viola smiled, happy to finally have a way to bring her mom back. 

Mrs. Harris was back in almost an instant. Viola embraced her mother tightly, tears streaming down her face, and her mom covered her face with kisses.

Nico smiled, and Percy quacked. Mr. D watched them with a far away look on his face, his reflection still present.

“Thank you so much.” Mrs. Harris told Nico. She looked just like her daughter, although her hair was darker. “Sorry for all the biting, but you know, it’s hard not being understood.”

“It’s okay,” Nico reassured her. “You have a nice kid.”

Mrs. Harris looked at Viola. “I know.” The woman stood up, her daughter still hugging her hip. She laughed. “Come, Vi, I think we own Mr. Di Angelo a happy meal.”

“Yes!” Viola said. “We’re still getting McDonald’s!” 

The two walked into the restaurant, leaving Nico alone with his duck boyfriend and the wine dude in the iris call.

“Are you going to claim her?” Nico asked the god.

“Not yet,” Mr. D replied. “She’s still very young, and I’m pretty sure her mother would kill me.” He smiled briefly, and then turned to Nico. “Can you two do me a favor, and keep an eye on her?”

Nico grinned. “You don’t even have to ask.” Percy quacked in agreement. 

“Also,” Mr. D added. “Please take a picture of Duck Peter. I’m sure Olympus will have a laugh about this for an eternity.”

Nico’s grin grew wider. “Oh, trust me, I’m going to take a full album of them.”

The call ended, and Percy bit Nico’s leg. Nico just laughed this time.

“Aw come on, Perce! You have to admit this is great!” Quack quack! “Yes, I know you want McDonalds too, but think of the ways we can use this to mess with our friends!” Quack quack? “You wanted to visit New Rome for a while before we returned to New York, remember? Imagine the pranks we could pull on Jason, with you in your duck form. Plus, now I know how to turn you back to normal, it doesn’t matter when we do it, does it?” Quack Quack…

Nico looked at him with Viola’s puppy eyes. “Can you do this for me just this once?” The duck glared at him. “Please?” Percy lowered his head. Quack Quack. Nico laughed. “Yeah, I’ll turn you back to normal by the end of the week, I promise.” Quack. Nico gave him a fond look. “I love you too, you big, dumb bird.”

The demigod stood back up, and walked into the McDonald’s, with his duck beside him.


End file.
